All the names, all the hats

Early-stage startups don't need people who blindly follow the lead. They don't even need the smartest people.

They need people who give a damn so much they don't care when they're called: "difficult" for questioning bad solutions "stupid" for asking to fill knowledge gaps "problematic" for pointing out problems "disorganized" for skipping the classic playbooks and processes "crazy" for believing you can actually pull it off before your seed runs out

Early-stage isn't for everyone. It's for people who are fine being called all the names and wearing all the hats.

These people will be the reason you survive.